Session Preview: Budget Battles Ahead
Oklahoma Legislature prepares to do battle with budget deficit
by Rick Green
Sometimes fear is a great motivator.
Gov. Mary Fallin hopes the Legislature succeeds this year where it hasn’t in the past to change the “gimmicks and tricks” she says are used to fund the state budget.
A scary budget hole may help her cause.
“They have a crisis. There’s an old saying, ‘Never let a crisis go to waste.’ They have a budget shortfall of $900 million.”
The hole, which could ultimately increase to $1 billion, is likely to be the biggest issue of the Oklahoma Legislature’s yearly session, which begins Monday when lawmakers convene to hear Fallin’s State of the State address.